“Bold” is an adjective that fit Sir Richard Branson when he started Virgin Atlantic in 1984. According to critics at the time, “delusional” also described his attempt to challenge long-established transatlantic carriers with a small, scrappy start-up based on superior service and in-flight fun. After the experiment proved successful, Branson became a “genius.”
A 36-year-old former investment banker has set out to disrupt the aviation industry the Branson way by launching Global Airlines—a London-based carrier that will use only Airbus A380s, the largest passenger jet ever built. James Asquith, who has moved between the City of London’s conservative financial world into high-tech app development, believes he has found his real calling with the new airline.
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“Global comes from a childhood dream of wanting to work in aviation,” Asquith tells Robb Report recently. “I saw firsthand from my dad the gripes of the crew and passengers, and how service on an airline could be better.”
Asquith’s origin story has been recast many times on social media, where he has 1.2 million Instagram acolytes. The son of a commercial pilot, Asquith dreamed of starting his own airline from his earliest years, doodling “Global Airlines” beside sketches of airplanes on school notebooks, according to The Times. Young Asquith fantasized becoming the next Richard Branson—arguably the last person to create an airline from passion and force of personality.
Getting to Global involved a circuitous route. Asquith enjoyed a successful career in investment banking and later launched a vacation-rental app called Holiday Swap, worth a reported $400 million. In 2013, he broke the Guinness World Record for youngest person to visit all of the world’s 196 sovereign countries, typically traveling in business and first class. Asquith has flown on more than 280 airlines, taking careful note of both highs and lows. He launched Global in 2021 at the height of the pandemic when many airlines were downsizing.
“I will always retain the perspective of a customer,” says Asquith, referring to the ethos behind his business model. “Global is an airline built by aviation experts and frequent flyers, and we’re doing this for a reason.”
The experts include chief commercial officer Richard Stephenson, whose contributions to commercial aviation earned him an O.B.E. from Queen Elizabeth II. Kevin Billings, a former assistant secretary of the U.S. Air Force, is the executive chair of Global’s advisory board. Other members include veteran fighter pilots and executives who have left other airlines.
But Asquith’s reasons? He wants to recapture the experience of flying in a more civilized age. He mentions the beauty of the late 1950s Eero Saarinen–designed TWA terminal (now a hotel) at JFK, the glamour of the Concorde, and the days when 747s had onboard bars on the top deck. “It was a special time,” he says.
The A380’s 5,500 square feet of cabin space is a primary way Asquith plans to bring back that special experience, but with a modern twist. Global aircraft will have a spacious 1-2-1 configuration in First and Business Class, more room in Economy than conventional airlines, and elevated service across classes. There will be amenity kits in Economy as well as door-to-door chauffeured service for First and Business class passenger.
“What’s coming down the aisle food-and-beverage-wise will also be incredible,” Asquith says, remaining tight-lipped on details. The goal is to recreate the “wow” factor that carving stations and flambeed desserts had in the early days of transatlantic travel.
That’s all very nice but most likely unattainable, according to Asquith’s doubters. The A380 has a number of drawbacks, the biggest being that many airports simply can’t accommodate them. “They’re limited in where they can go,” CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg tells Robb Report. “And in order to be profitable, the aircraft has to be 80 percent full all of the time.”
Operational costs, adds Greenberg, could also prove to be a large financial impediment to a startup airline. British Airways currently operates 12 A380’s, a relatively small fleet. “And recently, four out of those 12 were down for unscheduled maintenance, which means cancelled flights and lost revenue,” he says. Other aviation analysts also cite gate availability, ground operations, a cost-effective reservation system as factors that leave them skeptical about Global’s prospects. Some have argued that the airline will never get off the ground.
But Asquith remains determined, even with serious headwinds. “If you look at the U.S.,” he says. “You have Houston, J.F.K., Washington, LAX, and San Francisco that are all capable of handling the A380.”
The initial routes will be from Gatwick to JFK and LAX. In a highly unconventional move, Global has purchased its aircraft, rather than leasing them, like most other start-up airlines. Of his four jets, the first was flown from California to Glasgow in May, where its interior is being refitted. Asquith says three others are on their way.
“The big difference with being able to use an A380 is what we can offer, even with less frequency per route on that aircraft,” he told Aviation Source. “It does set you apart rather than competing on a niche route or a certain-priced route, especially when you have a situation in the macro-economy like we saw in the pandemic.”
Asquith would love “to skip to the end,” according to the online story, and get into the air immediately. But he knows that he has to knock down “each hurdle as it goes,” including thousands of operational details and myriad regulatory approvals.
As for financial concerns, Asquith says the goal is not to “line our pockets,” admitting there are many easier ways to make money. “Yes, we want to be profitable, but it’s not about how much we can squeeze out at the passenger’s expense. It’s about offering something we’re proud of.”
In the end, Global Airlines is a dream and gamble. Can a tiny, single-model airline offer a different and improved experience over larger competitors and succeed against stiff odds?
No one will know until long after its first flight, which Asquith promises will be in the first quarter of next year. In September, Global announced that it had contracted with an aviation maintenance inspection firm to expedite commercial operations.
After that? Asquith might have the last laugh. Just ask Richard Branson.
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